Reframing Leadership

The most important quality for leadership is the ability, desire, and dedication to being a good follower.

We were made to be like sheep, and sheep follow. Those who choose to follow the right person will be successful. Those who choose to follow the wrong person or things will be disappointed, at best.

Throughout the years, we have been told that leaders are those who have people following them. We have placed the emphasis on being followed rather than being a follower. Therefore, we have opened the door for all kinds of manipulation, psychoanalysts, and politics, in order to prove and sustain our leadership.

People have desired to be effective leaders because they want to be at the top of the pile rather than support the pile. They want to be effective leaders so that their organizations thrive, they become financially independent, and they have the admiration and respect of those in “control.”

The apostle Paul talks about leadership differently. He states this: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 ESVST)

In the context of discussing leadership, Paul says that true leaders are faithful servants and stewards. A good servant is one who is consumed with serving the needs and purposes of the master. They are following what is best for the master. They are subjecting themselves to making sure that what is important to the master is important to them.

Satan, at one point, wanted to change all of this and make himself the master. He did not want to follow, but wanted to be followed.

It is true that we need to live our lives in a manner that others would follow us, but this is in the context of the fact that if they follow us, they would be following Christ, for that is what we as leaders really do.

There have been great leaders throughout Biblical history who would not, in modern terms, be considered leaders, because they had no one following them.

Ezekiel, Noah, Stephen, and others would have been considered “non-leaders,” yet they are some of the most powerful leadership examples that we have. Moses, arguably, one of the best leaders of all time, seems to always lose the people’s attention, and they were moaners and groaners, and many times wanted to abandon Moses. The only time Moses really got in trouble was when he abandoned following God’s instructions.

Leaders need to reframe leadership.

If leaders continue to be consumed with how to manipulate, cajole, and direct the masses, instead of being consumed with loving God and delighting in His Word, we will actually be leaderless. The blind can lead the blind, but the end result is not good.

Here is a list of what would characterize good leaders:

1.     Understand that there is a God, and understand that they are not Him.

2.     Understand there is a plan, and understand that it is not their plan.

3.     Understand that the real problem in life is sin, that I am the sinner, and that all I deal with are sinners and have the same problem and same solution.

4.     Have responded to God’s invitation and have accepted His gift of life offered through His Son, Jesus.

5.     Understand that “time and chance” have more to do with success than skill, rhetoric, and manipulation, and that God is the one who controls the time and chance.

6.     Abide with God, and delight in His Word.

7.     Desire to put flesh onto the plans and desires of God.

8.     Desire to be put in a position to make others successful.

Leadership is really not an arrangement; it is a relationship. It is about following God and what is right, and doing so in public. It is about making those around us successful.

Moses, Paul, Peter, and others felt inadequate in their leadership ability, as they should have, because when we focus on ourselves, we are inadequate.

God is not in need of someone to lead. He wants His children to join Him, follow Him, and let Him lead. He is capable; we are not. He is able to provide; we are not. He is able to see the future. We are limited to guessing about the future. He is able to secure the victory. We are only able to hope we win.

Sheep follow. It’s what we do. Leaders are the best followers, and in doing so, become the best leaders.

Prayer

Throughout time, we often lose perspective. The idea of evolving is different than the idea of intentionality. To speak of our faith as something that is “evolving” takes away from the idea of us making intentional choices, and places the emphasis on chance rather than choice.

Discussions on Christian college campuses about man’s choice versus the sovereignty of God have placed the onus on our understanding, rather than on what might be revealed.  There are those who believe that since God is sovereign, man has no real choice, and there are those who believe that since man has choice, God is actually limited in His sovereignty.

The Scriptures clearly teach that God is sovereign and that man has real choice. In fact, if man did not have real choice, the idea of love would be a complete farce. The issues are really not sovereignty versus choice, but rather how God responds as one who knows what choices man will make.

We know that in the end, God will not lose. So we know that no matter what I do, say, or attempt to control today, in the end, if it does not line up with God’s plans, it loses. It may be difficult for me to comprehend how God allows the complete flow of idea, choices, and still controls things, but that is because I am only capable of understanding things I can understand.

When we go to the Scriptures, we see that God is a relational being and He created us to be relational as well. When Christ was asked about what was important, He said that we should love the Lord our God and then love each other.

This idea of love is relational and demands choice, real choice. Real choice also demands real consequences, or the idea of choice is a farce.

Sin is costly. People who choose to sin make life miserable for themselves and for all those who are affected by their decisions. If I choose to run an airplane into a building, many will die due to my choice. If God would intervene and stop me from doing so, and He can, that would be considered a miracle. Most of the time, it seems to me, that God allows the system He created to work, yet in those unusual incidents, for which only He knows why, He works outside the system and performs what we call a miracle.

To ask the question, “Where is God with all the tragic events in the world?” is to ask the wrong question. The real question should be this: “Why has man chosen to ignore God and live with such dire consequences?”

Since God is relational, relational “rules” would apply to how we approach or interact with Him. One of the basics in relationships is communication. God has told us that He has already communicated with us through the creation, through His Word, and through His Son.

Communication, in order to be effective, needs to be bi-directional. If it is only God speaking to me, then we have a “lecture” type of relationship which tends to be cold, static, and corporate. If, on the other hand, I get to respond to what He has said, we have a dynamic that sets the stage for healthy and good relationship.

For those who have no relationship with God, prayer is wish list to a genie or sugar daddy in the sky who needs to perform for them. If He does not answer their demands, then they conclude that He must not love, must not be powerful, or must not care. Often, people are driven to pray when they are convinced that they cannot control the adverse circumstances in which they find themselves.

In essence, they have no real desire for an ongoing relationship with God, and they want to use Him and His power for themselves when they have no other alternative.

I remember once talking with my mom when she was aged and living in a nursing home. She had had a particularly rough go of things, and was struggling with health and emotional issues. I told her I would pray for her. When I said those words, she looked at me with a look of terror and said, “Oh no, it’s come to that?”  In her own funny way she rebuked me. I got the message.

Prayer, in our modern world, seems to have become more about our power and less about our relationship with God. We want to hear the woes of those around us so that we can pray. When the woes are cleared up, we are first in line to talk about how critical we were in the process. I feel power and empowered and now want to continue to pray for people so that I feel significant and useful in the Kingdom work.

This seems different than what we are told about going into a closet and praying.

In fact, if it is our desire to show the world who God is, then making ourselves prominent in the process seems counter-productive. Then again, we live in an age of mega preachers, worship teams that put on extravagant shows, and churches that seem to be about men more than God, so the idea of making us the power force through prayer is consistent.

What if prayer is not informing God of what He needs to be about?

First and foremost, it is the logical relational thing to do. We love God, and naturally would talk with Him about all of our concerns. As we talk with Him, He knows what is best, we acknowledge that, and enjoy the fact that we can unload our burden to the One who can carry it, and we actually let it go.

This means that my prayers are not demands, but heartfelt discussions about life, death, and the struggles we face. This is not unlike a conversation between husbands and wives, or children and parents.

Prayer is also a wonderful time of acknowledgement. We need to keep reminding ourselves of things that we too easily forget. As we pray, we acknowledge that God is God, and we are not. We acknowledge our place as submissive “brides,” and our dependence upon Him for all good things. In the end, we are acknowledging our responsibility to represent Him as we are made to do, and as we should.

When Jesus prayed in the garden, He was acknowledging the obvious, that there was pain and toughness ahead, and that even though He would rather not travel down that path, He was willing to, if that was what God wanted.

He did not pray for God to deliver Him. He seemed to be acknowledging the plan, His part in the plan, and His commitment to the plan, because of His love and understanding of God, who made the plan.

His prayers did nothing to change the plans, but did everything to remind Him of the purposes of the plans. He showed His relationship with His father. He acknowledged His place, purpose, the fact that God could change it, and trusted that if He did not changes the circumstances, it would all work out.

I need to do the same.

We are also told that one night Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. The next day He delivered what might be considered the most power discourse in His earthly ministry. I do not know what the conversation the night before was about, but I can imagine those who heard the Sermon on the Mount got the gist of what was prayed about.

When I pray, it not only acknowledges things that need acknowledging, but it also demonstrates my dependence, uniqueness (holiness), faith, and submission, and allows me to live my life looking forward to what God is going to do.

The word that sometimes is used to describe God in the King James Version is the word husbandman. That is an interesting word. ^[1] The husbandman is the farmer. He is the one who planted and works at setting the right environment so that growth can take place. My prayers allow me to watch the husbandman at work, and to anticipate what is yet to come from the arrangement of His circumstances or environment.

We were made to “abide” with God. This abiding time yields fruit. This fruit is not the fruit of our goodness, our ability, or our genetic make-up. It is the fruit of choosing to abide, to commune, to make certain that nothing hinders our connection to the only one who can produce the fruit.

And fruit production is incredibly important as that is why we are a plant in the first place, and those who do not produce fruit are wasted plants in the farmer’s field.

As one reads John chapter 15, it is easy to see that it is intentional intimacy, and that limiting things that diminish that intimacy that matters. Therefore, prayer matters immensely in that it is the thing that allows us to complete the cycle of intimacy and that eventually produces fruit.

I cannot help but wonder about what Satan has done to infiltrate this important aspect of intimacy with God and replace it with a “look alike” to make us think we are more important in the process than we really are.

Somehow prayer has become associated with prayer chains that inform many about the needs of few, in order to unleash the power of God on the needy. With what I know about God is that He cares greatly for the needy, and with or without our prayers, He will act. The danger in this type of format is that we begin to place the emphasis on our method, our prayers, and our diligence instead of God’s love, power, mercy, grace, and plans.

The prayer chain may be a good way for churches to communicate, or it may be a good way for churches to commensurate responsibility among the masses.  It could be a great tool to drive our people to their knees, or it could be destructive in that it places the onus on us, instead of God.

Since prayer is relational, and we are told to pray continually, then the prayer chain could be a way to inform us as to what is happening so that as we are informed pray-ers.

No matter what the format, if the prayers of God’s people are put in place to use God rather than love Him and proclaim Him, they are more of a tool of Satan than of God. If our prayers are for ourselves, our comfort, or our enjoyment of this life, we have missed the purpose of prayer.

Often times we are asked to pray for things that seem to need no prayer. If someone is beating their head on a rock and is praying for God to stop the immense pain associated with such things, I would think that is a waste of our prayer time. To pray that one is not pregnant after illicit affairs, or that one could be healthy after they have neglected their health all their lives seem like a “use” of God, rather than a relationship with God.

Prayer is something that overflows from the loving and grateful heart, and I am sure that prayer chains can be useful to those who love and live in that manner.

Public prayer is another interesting issue. Jesus warned us against putting on a show with our prayers, or using our prayers to impress others with our relationship. ^[2] He also warned us against the idea of using empty phrases to try to impress God and others with our sincerity. ^[3]

Prayer is not something we use to impose our will on God and others, but is rather a special opportunity to spend time with our Heavenly Father. As an older dad, I no longer need to provide for my daughters, yet I love when they take the time to sit and talk with me about life. I like it when they send me “lists” of things they are doing, what they are thinking and talking about, and share about the activities in which they are involved.

When my loved ones have a need, I would like to know about it in order to be with them. Recently I had an operation. I wanted my wife by my side. When I had operations as a boy, I wanted my mom by my side. When I go through tough times in the future, I want those I love by my side.

It’s a relational thing, not a cure thing. In the end, we will see that all things should have been all about God. My prayers allow me to make it that way now. My prayers are not about changing history, but allowing me a front seat in watching history change. I get to talk with the One who will prevail. I get to communicate with the One who can make a difference, and accept that when He does not change the circumstances, it is still part of the overall victory plan.

Some see praying as a burdensome activity that must be done or disaster could strike all that we love and enjoy. This makes prayer something that is a responsibility, instead of a privilege.

My prayers change me, give me hope, and bring me peace.

In some weird way, my prayers change nothing but me, and that is a good thing, for which I am grateful. I enjoy talking with my “husbandman” and waiting for the fruit that will inevitably come.

---

^[1] And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

(Genesis 9:20 KJV)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

(John 15:1 KJV)

^[2] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

(Matthew 6:6 ESVST)

^[3] “ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

(Matthew 6:7 ESVST)

You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there
(Numbers 35:14-15 ESVST)

God desires mercy more than sacrifice. God desires restoration, not retribution.
People are people. We act like people and often do things we regret. We need to demonstrate patience, not tolerance towards all.

Tolerance is the acceptance of what is wrong as normal, whereas patience is the acceptance of humans as normal. All people are sinful, and all sin has ramifications. We know that and we need to position ourselves to be patient, while wise enough to not be tolerant.

We often see Christians who are crushed by insisting on taking on the responsibility of God to enact vengeance. God, alone, can and should punish, and we should rejoice in that, for He is a God of mercy and grace.

Punishment is never the goal, but, for some reason, it seems simpler than restoration. God will punish, but reserves such things to those who refuse to repent.
theomegaforce.org

World Vision

In trying to be relevant World Vision has lost its relevance. 

World Vision USA announced on Monday that it will no longer recognise only heterosexual marriages in its employee code of conduct, and that those in same-sex marriages will now be equally accepted.

The organisation's code of conduct demands "abstinence before marriage and fidelity in marriage", but until now this only applied to heterosexual marriages. 

World Vision is one of the largest Christian charities in the world, providing disaster and other forms of aid to 250 million people annually. It operates in nearly 100 countries worldwide and has revenue of approximately 1 billion US dollars per year.

Toby Jones, a theological author and professor from Fuller Theological Seminary said on Twitter that: "Evangelical leaders who are speaking out against @WorldVisionUSA get kudos in their echo chamber but lose a generation of seekers.”

World vision is wrong. Those who call themselves theologians and believe that the Scriptures condones homosexuality are wrong. God is patient but not tolerant whereas this new breed of “theologian” is tolerant but not patient. 

I am not sure who Toby Jones is talking about but I would guess it is the generation of those “seekers” who want to replace God and His Word with themselves and their words. A generation of “self-seekers” who help others only if it helps themselves. Really, those who seek God find Him, those who seek unity apart from God, in the will of the majority, find compromise, confusion and catastrophe. 

The Bible is not that hard to understand: 

Or do you not know that unrighteous individuals will not inherit God's kingdom? Stop being deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor those who are of a voluptuous nature, given to the gratification of sensual, immoral appetites, neither men who are guilty of sexual intercourse with members of their own sex,  nor thieves, nor those who are always greedy to have more than they possess, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit God's kingdom. And these things you were, certain ones of you. But you bathed yourselves clean [from sin in the fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins], but you were set apart for God, but you were made righteous in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Wuest)

This probably could not be any clearer. 

For World Vision to try to say that not allowing homosexual couples to be a part of the World Vision team in order to preserve unity is a total misunderstanding of what unity is. We are not striving to get unity among human thought but unity in that each “part of the body” should have unfettered access to the brain. We need to be unified with God, and God will cause us to experience unity. When we focus on trying to be unified with each other instead of with God, the brain, we can never experience true unity. 

In his 2010 book 'The Hole in our Gospel' Mr Stearns expressed his frustration and sadness over the fact that Christians are more often known for what they oppose rather than what they support.

"We're seen to be against homosexuality and gay marriage, against pornography and sexual promiscuity, against alcohol and drug abuse, abortion, divorce, Islam, evolution ... even against those who believe that global warming is a threat."

Mr Stearns instead argues that this action is a move to redirect focus away from issues relating to sexuality and "focus instead on uniting Christians around serving the poor".

It sounds rather noble to be one who only wants to talk about what we support rather than what we oppose. The problem with that is the fact that it does not work in that both what we are for and what we are against needs to be clear in order for us to get the complete picture. 

God often tells us what he is against, such as demonstrated by the verses already quoted. God also says things like: 

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

(Psalms 1:1 ESVST)

He is saying that men are blessed that do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, do not stand in the way of sinners and do not sit in the seat of scoffers.

Before the “what we do stand for part” He tells us what we should be against. God is definitely against homosexuality, gay marriage, pornography, sexual promiscuity, alcohol and drug abuse, abortions, divorce, islam, evolution……I reserve comment on global warming in that it is not mentioned in the Bible, however, lying is a sin so if they are lying, He would be against that too. 

Mr. Stearns seems to be trying to correct God and what He has said in Scripture. World Vision is focused on the wrong world.

The New "I Am"

I am an American

I want what I deserve.

I deserve what I want.

I am an American

I deserve medications that cost millions to discover, test and approve for little to nothing.

I deserve medical procedures for free that cost millions to create, manufacture and operate.

I deserve free medical care from those who went to 8 or more years of medical school and spent thousands of dollars to educate themselves for my benefit. 

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want 

I am an American

I deserve a paycheck even when I do not work.

I deserve nutritional foods that cost our farmers thousands of hours to produce for little to no cost to myself. 

I deserve vouchers, food stamps, deals, coupons and others to work in order to enable me to eat.

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve an education even if I do not work hard when given the chance to have an education.

I deserve nice schools equipped with the latest and greatest educational tools at someone else's expense. 

I deserve recognition for my existence and rewards for just being me.

I deserve good grades, nice teachers, no bullies and constant concern for my opinions even when I have no idea what I am talking about. 

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve happiness even if it costs you yours.

I deserve comfort even if it costs you yours.

I deserve money even it it costs you yours.

I deserve peace even if it costs you yours.

I deserve your admiration, your respect and your acknowledgement even when I have done nothing to be admired, respected or recognized for.

I deserve to make the team about me instead of about “we.”

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve a family that is all about me.

I deserve a church that is all about me.

I deserve a school that is all about me.

I deserve a government that is all about me. 

I deserve a world that is all about me.

I deserve a universe that is all about me.

I deserve a god that is all about me.

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as defined by myself, at no cost to myself even though it costs others their lives to ensure this freedom. 

I deserve the best military in the world to protect….me,

I deserve the most sophisticated defensive weapons to defend my rights, my freedoms and my desires. 

I deserve to have others die so I could live. 

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve to be entertained,

I deserve to be amused.

I deserve others to take excellent care of me even tough I neglect myself.

I deserve to be served even though I serve no one. 

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve a home to protect me even though I refuse to use my money to purchase it.

I deserve heat at subsidized rates.

I deserve water that has been guaranteed clean delivered to my sink for free.

I deserve the garbage I create to be cleaned up by others.

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

I deserve respect even though I done nothing to gain it.

I deserve honor even though I live dishonorably.

I deserve admiration even while doing nothing to admire.

I deserve affirmation though doing nothing remarkable.

I am an American

I use the world and its resources for me

I use my friends to my benefit.

I use my church to benefit me.

I use my charitable giving to benefit my financial and social standing. 

I use the wealth my forefathers accumulated, like a spoiled rich child who was given all things, regardless of my character.

I use others to make my life better

I am an American

I want what I deserve

I deserve what I want

I am an American

One day we will wake up from the American dream and find that it was a nightmare when God  grants our prayers and desires and actually give us what we deserve. We have not realized that all we have, that is good is given to us to by God and his mercy is offered in order that we might not get what we deserve, while His grace is given to allow us abundantly more than we could ever deserve. 

If we are ever to make America great again we need to make America about God, not me. 

It is time for us, as individuals, families, churches, neighborhoods, counties, cities, states and as a nation to repent for even though God is patient, He is not tolerant.  If we keep insisting on getting what we deserve we may just be granted this request.

“ ….if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESVST)

Troubled Times, Good Times?

And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Acts 16:31-34 ESVST) While they praise God, experience earthquakes, and gain freedom, they see the jailer in a prison of his own making about to end his meaningless life. They intervene, giving the jailer hope and a future, and he immediately brings this good news to his family who also respond. I guess if Paul and Silas would have never healed that girl, gotten beaten, and thrown in jail, they would have missed the stage on which God wanted them to perform. The beating and jail time was the price of admission for them to be used by God to help the jailer and his family join the family.

Liar, Liar, Life On Fire

Matthew 11:16-19 But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon.  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

A generation that decides what is truth rather than discovering it rushes recklessly into the future. In many respects we do not care for truth unless it benefits us. The negatives of our lives are because we are victims not because we are sinners.

Obesity is a disease, narcissism is a disorder and homosexuality is something we are born with. We label the constant battle within to do right and wrong “bipolar” instead of describing it as a struggle for control as the Apostle Paul did in Romans chapter 7.  We tend to condemn others for the acts we ourselves commit believing they have issues and we have reasons.

Paul told Timothy in his second letter to him, chapter 4, that he should teach the Word in a way that reproves, rebukes and exhorts but realize that when he is finished people will frustrate him by choosing what to believe based on what leader tells it to them the way they want it.

Truth, in America and in the “church” in America has become relative rather than absolute. Majorities rule the church and nation and we are fine with that even though Jesus said in Matthew 7: 13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

We have allowed the Supreme Court to be supreme, the majority to be right rather than just the majority and culture to dictate what Christ followers look like.

As a result, those who claim to be Christians often demonstrate the same pathological problems that affect the unbeliever. We have identified with the wrong crowd, the wrong savior and the wrong philosophy.

The byproduct of this thinking is that we are endure life rather than live it. We gather to gain strength in our numbers rather than our God and we reassign definitions to words in order to make them fit what we want to believe.

God created us to be “discoverers” not “creators.” Truth, by definition, needs to be discovered and life adjusted to it rather than adjusting the “truth” to our lives.

Our nation and our church will eventually see that Godlessness in any way shape or form will lead to disaster but since God is rich in mercy there always seems to be hope….in Him and His ways and in truth.

If we are to turn the ship away from the impending cultural disaster we need to begin doing what we can do instead of thinking about what we cannot accomplish. It would be wise for us to concentrate on the following:

1.     Understand and respond to the fact that there is one God and that we are not Him.

2.     Understand and respond to the fact that God is the creator and sustainer of all life and has created life with absolutes and that He is patient but not tolerant.

3.     Understand and respond to the fact that we are separated from God by our sin and that God is rich in mercy.

4.     Understand and respond to the fact that Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is the only satisfactory payment to God for this sin of ours and to accept His payment for our sin.

5.     Understand and respond to the fact that Christ came to die in order to give us life, not just keep us out of hell. The big tragedy in life is not hell but a separation from God and the refusal to repair the relationship we damaged.

6.     Understand and respond to the fact that Satan is real and real good at deceiving and destroying but he can only do so as we give him opportunity.

7.     Understand and respond to the fact that a majority is just that and not the determiner of truth. (With this in mind churches should change from majority rule to elder rule, from Drucker led to Spirit led and from man centered to God centered institutions.)

8.     Understand and respond to the absolutes in the institutions God created or allows. The institution of the church as the body and bride of Christ. The institution of Government as the vehicle for order in order that we might live at peace. The institution of marriage between one man and one woman for life. These are all intentional and purposeful structures to allow us an intentional and purposeful life.

9.     Understand and respond to the fact that the battle in this world is not ours but God’s, that He does not need us but wants us and will use us as we position ourselves to be used by Him. Our job is to position ourselves not to depend on self.

10. Understand and respond to the idea that we were made to love God and each other and allow God to define what He means by such concepts.

If we would just implement these ten things we would be wise for we would be applying the wisdom of God over the wisdom of man. Those who want life need to seek God and understand that abundant life comes from dying to self, not crying to self. We need to admit that we can and do believe what we want and surround ourselves with those who allow us to do so or face the reality of constant broken lives. This life is really about God, not me. Any other descriptions and accounts of life that do not include Him at the center are Satanic and may be portrayed as loving, kind and inclusive when they are really fueled by hatred, jealousy and isolation.

For now the choices are ours. Soon our choices will cease and we will reap the fruit of what we believed.  In many cases the damage done by believing lies will never be repaired.

We seem to have often created a belief system that is not only based on lies and self indulgence but absolutely doomed to failure from the start. We believe that God is rich in mercy and grace, which He is. So, we think that when we ask for forgiveness and He grants it to us all will be well. Which might or might not be.

If I were to take out a gun and murder someone and then later come to realize that I made a very bad mistake and asked his family for forgiveness and they forgave me that would be nice. However, the man I murdered is still dead. Their forgiveness may make my misery and their misery more tolerable but it does not change the fact that a person died.

Forgiveness does not necessarily mean the removal of the consequence for the evil deed.

For those who are believers in Jesus Christ, Christ followers, true Christians, they are indeed forgiven for all their past sins when they come to the cross and see their need and accept God’s provision of Jesus Christ. The forgiveness for all the past sins is something that indeed will change the future for they will never see the judgment that is due them, and there will indeed be judgment.

However, one needs to see that the “past aspect” of their salvation, or the idea of having sins forgiven by God will not change the fact that a sin has been committed. The murdered man is still dead yet my penalty has been paid in full and I am now clean before my God.

In reality, there are three aspects of salvation. In the past we are freed from the penalty of sin. In the present we are freed from the very power of sin. As a true believer we have a choice, a real choice now that we have the capability of understanding and responding to the truth. That is why it is so critical to not believe whatever we want to believe but to know and respond to the truth, for if we believe whatever we want to believe we give up the very power that God wants to give us to defeat the power of sin in our life today. The power to live life as it ought to be lived comes from living in the truth, not in living in the lie.

The third aspect of our salvation is the future aspect or the fact that one day those who are God’s children will be free from the very presence of sin. God is not tolerant and one day those who are His true children will live in a place where there is no sin.

Many who call themselves Christians often celebrate the idea of being forgiven for past sins and the fact that one day they will live in a place without sin. However, few celebrate the idea of being delivered from present sin today. Somehow we have believed our own lies, live as those around us live an wonder why we cannot pull ourselves out of the slew we seem to always dwell in.

The answers are clear. The truth can be discovered. If we seek God we will find Him.

Perhaps we still have time to change the course of history even though we will not be able to change the scars of self-indulgence we have already incurred. Perhaps we can begin to set things up for the next generation in a way that will actually work,  giving them a chance at real hope and real change instead of handing them the rhetoric of hope and change when in reality nothing changes.  Perhaps we can work on the prevention of disaster with more resources and diligence rather than setting our sights and energies on restoration.

A good maintenance plan usually means there is no need for restoration. We need to stop neglecting our children, our churches and our nation. For now the choice may still be ours.